


Experiment Success: Eddsworld Au

by Juxt_Lame



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse of Authority, Angst, Angst and Feels, Animal Abuse, Animal Death, Bitterness, Blood, Blood Loss, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, Body Horror, Brutal Murder, Cannibalism, Cannibalistic Thoughts, Corpses, Edd won’t even see it coming, Eddsworld AU, Eddsworld Red Army, Gen, Gore, Graphic Description, Haha murder, Heavy Angst, Horror, Human Experimentation, Human Transmutation, Killer monster, Killing, Monster Tom (Eddsworld) - Freeform, Murder, Nightmare Fuel, Red Army, Rip army members, Sadness, Swearing, TW: Nightmare fuel, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Tord is being dumb, You Have Been Warned, animal experimentation, monster Tord eddsworld, people die, red army eddsworld - Freeform, tastes like chicken, tw: body horror, tw:gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:20:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28669140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juxt_Lame/pseuds/Juxt_Lame
Summary: It had been several years since Tord left the eddsworld household. They assumed that Tord was making it decently in the big city, where he said he was going. However, what they didn't know was that he was lying about where he was going. For several years Tord had owned an army, he returned and was going to make it rise, succeed. However, even several years later it wasn't going as he planned. A few years ago he decided to start an experiment, which was hidden from the outside world but was very well known in the base. He started with animals, testing drugs on them. He was trying to create an ultimate killing machine. A dangerous weapon, something that could kill enemies with ease and no remorse. He wanted to do this so he could inject these to the weaker ones, therefore making them more dangerous. However, he could not immediately start on humans. He started on animals and at first it seemed to be going horribly. But after a few years it seemed to finally be working, creating a dangerous, monstrous animal as a side effect. It was time to test it on someone. However, most were hesitant therefore he decided to use himself. This would turn out to be a fatal mistake.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Animal death, animal abuse, animal experimentation, body horror, gore and nightmare fuel.

"Sir? You asked for us?" A seemingly older male asked, his voice sounded a bit strained, croaky at most which was probably due to the fact he has been smoking for several years. He had a bandage around his left eye which was unusable because just a year ago he sustained an pretty bad injury on that eye. He preferred to keep the bandage on, despite the fact it was pretty much healed. He had brown hair, not too light nor too dark. His eye colour however was much darker. He had small wisps of a stubble at least, seeming to not grow much more than that at all, despite the fact he never shaved. He had a cigarette hanging from his mouth, seeming bent in an odd way but it still stayed in his mouth regardless. He had blue uniform for the army which seemed to have a few stains on them, most likely oil. It seemed to be like a jacket or vest, reaching down below his knees. It was more a buttoned type, having a few that allowed it to stay together. Underneath he had a red turtleneck, which seemed to have a lot of room around the neck area. He entered the very white room, which was painted that way. It was pure metal, people could see the screws and lines that made it clear that it was metal if they looked hard enough. The floor seemed to be more concrete however, being very rough and not painted at all. The door was pure metal as well, however it was not painted. It was actually very clean, making it look brand new. It also looked more wooden, since it had a handle that'd fit a wooden door. 

He pushed the door open as he walked forwards, having another male follow suit who had not said anything yet. He looked more slim then the male who spoke, almost lean but he did have muscle. He wore the same uniform as the male in front, blue vest like uniform, however it was fully opened and did not have the buttons connecting it. The other difference was that his uniform's length stopped just above the knee and not below it. He also had a red turtle neck, having a lot of room around the neck area but there also seems to be this white cross, as if it was lie bandages or some form of strap which wrapped around from his side to shoulder. He had brown hair but it seemed more like it was a darkish, walnut brown then a lighter brown. It also had been swept to both sides, making the front hair, fringe, look like quote, "chicken wings". He had less pale skin then the other male, still passing off as pale but also seeming to almost lean towards tan. His eyes were a darker brown, also being a walnut brown colour. 

These two were Paul and Pat, the two main soldiers who were by far the most trusted by the leader. They walked up to their leader, who was having his back face them. He moved his right hand and made a "come here" gesture with it before placing it back down on the small table. Paul looked over at pat, who shrugged at him in response. They both walked over, Paul going to Tord's right side and Pat going to Tord's left. They looked at him, confused before he quickly nodded his head forward, gesturing silently to what was in front of him. The two males looked over and their eyes slightly widened at the sight. In front of Tord was a pretty big glass container, which was home to one of the animal experiments. This time it was a bigger animal, being a cat. The cat's breed, to be specific, was a Turkish Van. It was more then likely two years old, it was mostly white but had hints of black and ginger which seemed splotched around the place, but that was around the right ear and the tail. It had blue, piercing eyes which seemed to be slightly glowing. The main thing they noticed was how dilated the pupils seemed to be. They didn't take up the entire eye but it seemed like it did at some angles. It seemed to be staring forward at a splatter of blood and clumps of grey fur. 

The male in the middle, Tord , cleared his throat. He slowly walked away, his boots making the room seem very loud all of a sudden since there were no sounds to be heard. He came to a stop at a small container, which he picked up. It seemed like it was a makeshift, having holes pricked into it. They could hear squeaks of distress coming from the box as it was moved. Tord gave a slight trot as he walked to the glass enclosure where the cat sat, still, unmoving and quiet. He smiled, a small fang showing through. He opened a small 'door', which he simply pulled up. It was rather small, enough to fit a rat inside. He opened the box and tilted it forward, not letting the animal escape by just going to the sides. It took a few seconds and then the rat ran into the enclosure. It was a husky rat, having grey and white as it's main colour which made it look like, well, a husky. He shut the little opening and just as the rat squeaked in shock, the cat seemed to snap it's head over to look at the noise. 

Pat and Paul watched and suddenly felt dread overcome them when the cat seemed to stand, hunched. The eyes constricted slowly, seeming barely noticeable until pat noticed how the dislocation seemed to fade. Paul rose his brow, wondering what this cat was doing. Was it fearful? Was it scared? Was it surprised? He was very far off. The cat slowly moved to walk towards the rat which seemed to back away, scared and sensing as if it was in danger. The cat let out a low growl but it wasn't a normal cat growl, it sounded more like a dog was growling. Paul snapped his head around to check if there was any rabid dog in the room, but nothing. The cat seemed to roll it's tongue out, dribble coming down and creating a tiny puddle as if it was starving. This is when the two males noticed how off the cat looked, now it was standing. 

The back legs seemed malformed, not in a crippled like manner but as if it had maybe bones that were trying to dig out of that area. The front legs looked huge, swollen, like it had a bunch of muscle and the claws seemed longer and as if it was darkening and covered in blood. The tail had seemed to have these weird, pointed things poking out of it's tail and seemed to be growing on it's back as well. The eyes were so constricted now that it seemed as if it was just completely blue eyed with no pupils. Pat let out a soft gasp at this, hoping that the cat wasn't in horrible pain. "Was this why it was sitting down?" He asked himself. Paul gulped nervously as he watched the mouse press up completely against the glass. Just as it let out a squeak, the cat suddenly threw itself forward. 

It let out a horrible, disgruntled yowl. It didn't even sound like any sort of animal, it was like a complete demon. It was deep but also had a high pitch following suit. The cat ran straight at the rat, which quickly moved underneath the cat. The cat slammed it's head against the glass which did not shatter thankfully; but there was this loud, audible crack which followed. Paul paused, wondering if the cat was going to lie down again since it sounded pretty bad before the cat snapped it's body around. The head seemed to be dented in but it was like a squishy, slowly rising back up into it's natural state. It scowled loudly at the rat which squeaked out more before the cat charged again. The mouse went to go under again before the cat ducked it's head down and chomped down. It was not hard enough to completely crush it, but it was enough to keep it in place. The rat squealed loudly, squinting as the cat sat there, seeming to think. That's before it seemed to grow a human like grin, the many sharp teeth revealing themselves. They were stained, stained with a red substance. The cat suddenly threw it's head up, before throwing it's head back down hard into the ground. The rat cried out, cracks following but they were quieter. It continued, having blood start showing up and splatter. Eventually it stopped, inhaling and exhaling heavily as if it tired them. It stared forward, seeming to be out of it before it put it's head down slowly, almost as if it felt sorry. 

Before they threw it up in the air, high as they could and as the rat started coming back down pat and Paul cringed. The cat seemed to elongate it's jaw, like it was some sort of pelican. Pat could see the throat itself widen and a row of teeth which trailed down as far as he could see. Which seemed to be near the trachea before he could no longer see that far down. The rat fell right in and the cat made a loud sound, swallowing it whole. That was not the end however, it was pretty clear that the neck was squeezing in and out. It was like a jaw, since the males could hear muffled crunching sounds which followed down to the stomach. The cat paused before slowly hunching over and then lying down, the eyes dilating again, unmoving and being fixated on the blood splatter. 

Pat coughed, feeling grossed out since he did not expect that kind of scene. Yes, he was used to blood, gore and the animal subjects brutally killing the other ones but he had never seen something that bad. Normally they'd violently shake the animal around, bite down on it's neck and then eat it like they'd never eat for long time after or even some ripping heads off, not that kind of thing. Paul took a massive puff of smoke, seeming a tad stressed since he also was not used to seeing stuff such as that. He coughed a few times, uncomfortable. It was quiet before Paul spoke. 

"Sir, what the hell was that?!" He asked, tensing up his shoulders as he turned his head over to his leader, more then likely getting whiplash from how fast he turned it. He was about to say more before Tord looked over with a sly smile, grabbed his shoulder with some force but not as if he was absolutely pissed but more in a "calm down" manner. "A successful one." He simply said, his grey eyes staring down at his soldier. He rubbed his shoulder with his thumb, in a soothing manner before he gripped it harder. "This is what I wanted. It's worked." He grinned. Paul stared at him, with slightly shaky and dilated eyes. He let go, dragging his hand across his shoulder a bit. Paul went quiet and then pat spoke. "Sir, what do you mean by "this is what I wanted"? I thought you wanted to just make a killing machine, not a monster!" 

Tord perked up a bit, as if he was waiting for that question. "You see, Pat." He started. "I did just want a killing machine, but I noticed with that it comes with a side effect. It takes a toll on their physical body." He tapped against the glass and the cat snapped it's eyes over to Tord, not moving anymore then that. "The first thing that showed up was the teeth, which became sharper. I was wondering if anything else happened and then the other changes came." "Well can you give a list? A summary?" Pat asked, raising a brow. "Well after the teeth the claws were suddenly put out and no matter how much time passed, they kept the claws out. I'm not sure about the darkening of the claws, however." He put a hand to his chin and rubbed it a bit, examining the cat who had now looked away. "The eyes started dilating and I was wondering what that meant. Was it another reaction to the injection? I thought they'd have an allergic reaction, especially when the front legs started swelling and the back legs became, well, malformed." He shrugged a bit, putting his hand down. "However, when I tried to see how it'd react to normal food it didn't eat it. I could see that the cat knew it was there but it didn't go anywhere near it. Eventually those little bumps on the tail and back showed up and I was now wondering how it'd react to animals. So I put a mouse in there and not even a minute later, the cat attacked it and ate it." He huffed, seeming a bit out of breath. 

"It seems as if it has worked, the cat will kill anything. I've tried a few more mice and at some stage it tried to scratch me. Didn't get me, but it almost did. I'm wondering how it would react to another animal such as a rabbit or another cat." He narrowed his eyes. It went quiet and then Paul broke it. "Well, why not try it now? See if it has worked and it's not just brutally killing smaller animals. I mean, cats do go for rats and mice right?" Tord looked over at Paul before he replied. "Alright, go grab that cage over there." He pointed over to the far left. "It should have a rabbit in there." Paul nodded as he walked towards that area, feeling a bit of regret for even suggesting that but he wanted to make sure it wasn't just going for animals that were smaller then it. He walked over to a cage which held a white rabbit which had brown spots on it's right eye, left ear and a couple splattered on it's back. He grabbed the cage with both hands, placed on the sides as he started walking back to the glass container. The rabbit seemed a bit panicked, since it didn't really expect to be picked up at all. It hopped a bit, looking around. Paul eventually reached the glass container and Tord moved the left a bit, pushing pat as well in the process, to make room for Paul. Paul opened the little slot, pulling it up and then he opened the cage. He pushed it against the entrance to make sure the rabbit didn't try to hop out. The rabbit seemed extremely hesitant before hopping in. He closed the slot and moved the cage, pushing it to the side as he moved so Tord could be in the middle again. 

The cat again stood up and looked over but it's eyes stayed dilated. The rabbit seemed to become distressed at the cat, slowly trying to back away. The cat stepped forward, tilting it's head a bit. It seemed a bit confused at the new animal with it, like it had never seen anything like it before. That's before the pupils constricted rather fast and the growling came back, along with the dribble which dripped down it's chin. The cat was slightly bigger then the rabbit, however that was more in height. The rabbit was definitely bigger in width. The cat seemed to take a bit of a slower approach at first, creeping towards the rabbit which was shivering in fear. Suddenly, the cat threw itself again forward except the rabbit could not react in time. It tried to hope but the cat bit down, hard, onto it's back leg. It rose it's paw up, claws of course out, before it dug it deeply into it's stomach. The rabbit kicked violently as this happened, trying to still get away from the cat but it was no use. The cat's claws when all the way through, seeming to hold it there before Pat noticed that the rabbit seemed to be stretching. That's when he realised the cat was ripping it open, just with it's claws. The cat seemed to struggle a bit and eventually it used it other front leg before it completely ripped open, the skin under the fur stretching and snapping like it was strained string. The rabbit twitched as this happened and stopped kicking, it wasn't completely clear if it was completely dead or barely alive. The cat shoved both sides away, the blood spilling rapidly and the guts slumping over since it had zero support. The cat stood there, hunched, dribbling as it stared. Paul coughed a few times, looking away from the organs since some seemed to still be moving. 

Pat cussed under his breath before he shook his head, looking down at Tord. "Sir." He started. Tord slowly looked over, tilting his head in confusion. "Are...You sure you don't want to try again? Yes it made a killing machine, which is what you want; but I can't help but think this is too dangerous." "Dangerous?" Tord asked, his Norwegian accent coming through as he asked. "The transformation seems...painful. Like it'd hurt a bunch. For cats they naturally have claws but for us we don't naturally have claws!" He shook his fingers in front of Tord's face to make a point. "I'm sure the monstrous side effect has other damaging effects! Maybe merging of organs, the brain having symptoms." He cleared his throat, feeling as if it was lodged. "I'm not sure if any of our army members want to go through that!" 

Tord narrowed his eyes and looked down, seeming to be thinking about what Pat said. He was correct about how they did not have claws like cats and the fact he only studied the physical side effect; however, he did think more about it and looked back up. "We have nails. There's a chance the nails could be sharpened on their own and that wouldn't be painful, wouldn't it?" He asked. "The cat didn't seem to be in pain as well, it seemed more like it was taking it very well actually." Pat looked at the cat who seemed to be staring at him which caused him to shiver as a response. "Sir, If you really want to use this-" Paul interrupted, gesturing towards the cat. "-at least study the effects first. It would be a good weapon but if we don't study the effects on it first it could end horribly, we could possibly have a worse reaction than the cat!" He shrugged his shoulders a bit, only jolting because the cat seemed to stare at Paul after he gestured towards him. 

Tord looked at Paul and then Pat, blank. He then looked at the cat and nodded. "Alright, we'll do some studies on it. Call the scientists and vets over." "Now?" "Yes, right now, Pat." Tord straightened his posture. "Alright, what do you want us to do now?" "Just go around the base and make sure no one is messing up, last time we left them we had a water leak which almost flooded an entire room. I'll call you later." "Alright, take care sir." Pat and Paul said in unison, turning on their heels and walking out the door. Pat was in the front, lightly jogging to the lab so he could notify them. Paul followed a bit more slowly, looking back at the room, thankful that Tord was agreeing to study it more. He was still nervous about how the soldiers would react.

Hopefully, it'd go well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After what Pat and Paul witnessed, they realised it wasn’t going to be as easy as having Tord actually think about his actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Abuse of authority and mentions of murder

It had been a week since that test run which Paul and Pat watched. They put the cat in an enclosure again and made sure to take notes of everything they noticed which wasn't much since they mentioned they had a 'deadline', a meeting which confused Pat, who told Paul once the week was almost up. They both wondered why they had a deadline, this... thing... really shouldn't have a deadline, so why did it? While thinking of this and trying to figure it out they got some information on this cat, which were definitely true based on the fact it was backed up by the staff who worked on the cat, who they had now named "prototype". It was easier then saying "The cat". The results looked like they had been summarized to it's most basic form, for enough context so it didn't look as if it was just a spew of random words plastered on to look professional but also so there wasn't much information to give anyone.

When Paul or Pat tried to ask Tord, or the staff working on the prototype for more clear information they'd never really help. They'd either ignore them, say "that isn't important" or even just say some information but so vague that it didn't even sound like an actual good response. It was shocking, honestly. Paul and Pat tried their damn best to figure it out but it was practically impossible. Normally there'd be many writings about these tests that they could look through and get their own information off of but it seemed as if Tord purposely didn't write anything, leaving all the information about it scattered and obscure. This left them with no other choice but to wait for the meeting, the so called 'deadline'. They just hoped they would reveal anything they could, to ensure it was safe. All they knew was that it was still responsive, it hadn't died due to the seemingly painful transformation and raw, dirty animals that it devoured. It seemed to be getting more responsive to the people around as well, it always growled at the staff and even Tord. It wouldn't tense up or hiss in fear however; it was legitimate anger, a fight response to them. Nothing more showed up, no more transformations or mutations. That's all they knew, everything else was unclear. Pat and Paul felt complete and utter dread creep up on them when they went to sleep that night, speaking momentarily about how this meeting could either go fine or badly. There was no in between from the looks of it. They both fell asleep shortly after, nervous about how it would go. 

They both instantly regretted waking up, staring at the ceiling as their alarm rang. They didn't move for what felt like half an hour, when it was actually a minute, before Pat gently pushed the alarm, making it stop its loud beeping instantly. Pat was the first to sit up, looking over at Paul who looked like he had just experienced the worst nightmare in his life. His lips were parted, eyes were unblinking and he seemed to have a case of cold sweat. Thankfully he was wearing a loose singlet. Pat blinked and looked down at the ground for a moment before sighing. "Come on, the sooner we get there into the meeting, the sooner we leave." Pat tried to give a reassuring smile but it wasn't as effective as he hoped. Paul grumbled as he sat up, wordlessly getting up and walking to fix himself up. 

The meeting started at 10:00 am, they arrived by 9:57 am, rushing. Pat looked at the time above the door as they arrived and sighed, resting his clammy hands on his knees. Paul, who was barely able to keep up, breathed heavily behind him, coughing a bit through breaths. Paul was never really the one to run, when he did he'd need a couple of minutes to recover which was more than likely due to his constant smoking. Paul balled his right hand into a fist and hit himself in the chest lightly as he coughed. Pat looked at the people in the line and realized that there was no staff members. None of them who worked on the prototype. Pat shook Paul's arm softly as he whispered this to him, which also confused Paul. Where were they? Normally they'd be all here, standing by Tord once he arrived and give him all the notes and answers. There wasn't even one in sight. What gives?

Before Pat could even properly ask the rest of the soldiers Tord opened the door, smiling. It didn't look like his normal, slightly devilish smile. While it wasn't scary, it was unnerving. It looked as if he was planning something awful, like setting off a nuclear bomb and turning the area it hit into another Chernobyl situation. Pat stared at his leader with much suspicion, more than usual. Paul also seemed to share the same feeling, looking at Pat for some reassurance, which Pat just couldn't give. He just blinked and looked down, walking beside Paul as they entered the meeting. The door shut behind them, Tord standing there and giving what looked to be a comforting smile which didn't ease their nerves. It looked so fake, forced even. 

Pat and Paul sat at the front seats, just across from each other and near Tord, who they felt like was a complete stranger and a weird one at that. Tord, shortly after shutting the door walked to the front desk in between Paul and Pat. Everyone looked at the leader, waiting for him to start which he did after clearing his throat. "Glad you all came." He started but Paul instantly made eye contact with Pat, who could already tell what he was thinking. His voice. It was off. 

Yes, it was the same usual Norwegian accent, the same tone, the same wording but...it was off key, it didn't sound right, it didn't sound like him, their leader. They quickly had to make eye contact again since they didn't want to make it obvious that first, they were very suspicious and unnerved since Tord seemed to sense that out rather fast and secondly, that they were basically talking to each other during a meeting. Not verbally, but through other methods. 

Tord then started with a question. "I'm sure you've all heard of Prototype by now, so I don't need to explain what they are and what they do. Correct?" He seemed to hiss that last part, almost as if he'd kill anyone who'd say no. Everyone nodded at Tord, who straightened up his posture. "Good." Paul noticed the tiny eye twitch Tord did and he stared in worry but quickly fixed his expression so Tord wouldn't call him out. Thankfully, it seemed as if Tord didn't notice his momentary stare of worry. 

Tord then started to explain about what they found, what the results showed however, it was still vague. It annoyed Paul, which Pat noticed since Paul was squinting his eyes ever so slightly as Tord explained. If he could, he would've put his arms out, gesturing a "what?". Pat decided to advert his eyes for a moment and noticed that they weren't actually the only ones, everyone else looked extremely confused. One guy even looked as if he was pissed at how vague this was; however, no one could ask questions at this stage until the end since Tord didn't like being interrupted. 

After twenty minutes of just vague explaining he stopped and his smile fell. "Any questions?" Which made Pat almost widen his eyes as a response. He never started this early, he'd start after the entire explanation. This wasn't the entire explanation, he could somewhat see on his notes that he was supposed to go onto the next subject of "what good this would for for the army" why was he asking this now? Paul was more wondering why his smile fell until he saw Tord's eyes look slowly over to him, seeming to constrict. He was asking because of everyone's expressions, he knew. The way Tord stared at him was the same stare he'd give if he knew something that they'd not want him to know. He knew. He could tell they knew it was vague, that they didn't understand anything about the results about this prototype, especially the ones who weren't his two right hand men who witnessed it. Suddenly, Tord spoke. 

"You look like you have something to say, Paul." Paul froze, he felt like he was being called out in front of the entire army for a moment. Paul tried to think, should he ask one or stay silent? He didn't seem happy. This might be a trap, he was definitely the type to do those. He looked at him, regaining his composure. "No sir. Not right now." Tord stared at him, squinting his eyes a bit at him. Paul made sure to keep the same, flat expression when really he was panicking inside. There was no reason to, he was probably overreacting; but the way Tord said his name, the way he was staring at him. He knew that he knew that Paul was lying. Nonetheless, Tord took his eyes off him and stared at everyone else who seemed to get the idea collectively that maybe they shouldn't ask questions right now. 

Tord's smile came back. "Good, we can continue." Everyone had a massive, mental sigh of relief as he went onto the other subject. What good this would do for the the army. He seemed more ambitious about this one, less vague about how it could help. He explained how it would give them an advantage, physically and mentally. He said how this would make a normal person become fearful of the sight of them, with their sharp claws, sharp rows of teeth and overall monstrous appearance. This could lead to more surrenders, therefore less of his soldiers have to die. If they didn't back down they would have half of them wiped out rather quickly since they would be faster in speed, quicker with their kills, heightened senses so they can sense the ones hiding, having no hesitation to kill someone in cold blood and overall it was more effective then sending soldiers out who could show mercy to the enemies, ones who could get caught up in traps or miss anyone, leaving survivors. To Pat however, he didn't just seem excited and happy to tell the pros of this. He seemed more, eccentric? Manic even? It sounded more like something a mad scientist would say in a movie. It put him off, he shifted just the tiniest bit in his chair, not wanting Tord to call him out next. 

However, he didn't seem to be as good as listing off cons. The only ones he could really say was that one, it would probably hurt the soldiers; but then immediately backed that up with saying that they at least wouldn't die and they could also be given strong pain killers which would also require a health check since they don't want them to have an allergic reaction. Two, the soldiers could devour other humans and like the last one, he backed that up by saying that was for an animal. A stray one at that. Which could mean they have less conscious then a human, who had a moral compass. This could mean it could help the human, making them able to kill without any mercy but having enough of a conscious to not cannibalise the ones they kill. At least purposely. Three, they would need to be isolated and have to wait for possibly a week in pain while the mutation spread. Like the last two, he backed that up by saying again, the pain killers and how that it would be safer to keep them enclosed instead of letting them roam around. Besides, they would be able to talk to the staff still so they weren't completely isolated. 

Everyone stared at Tord like he was actually insane, as if he was speaking full gibberish. Pat stared at Tord as well before realising Paul was looking back and fourth, to Tord and Pat. Pat instantly made eye contact and already knew what Paul was wondering again but now it was because they were both thinking the same thing. What the hell? What kind of idea is this?

They couldn't vent to each other though, since this was a meeting. They could only wait, which would take a while since when Tord finished he put his hands on the desk and asked. "Any questions?" He kept the smile this time, meaning that he was being sincere with this and not asking because of everyone's facial expressions. It was more than likely because he did it after every meeting. Instantly everyone got loud, bombarding Tord with them trying to get their questions which didn't seem to phase Tord at all, he stood there while everyone kept talking one over another until he put his hand up, which made everyone go silent and sit back down. "One at a time." Tord said as he pointed to one of the men, who looked pretty pissed. "You, ask." As soon as Tord said that he stood and slammed a hand on the table. 

"Firstly." He started, his voice being more on the brisk side. "What if the human conscious doesn't work? For an animal, sure, you can make the excuse that it has a lesser conscious, like that prototype but this could snap the human mind like a twig! There's a possibility that they could devour our enemies, we haven't tried this on a human!" He finished, looking bewildered as Tord stared, his smile was gone but it wasn't because he was angry, it was something else, that something else was unclear, no one could tell. Tord folded his arms behind his back, staring for a moment before answering. "If a soldiers mind 'snapped like a twig' it would've happened much earlier, this isn't a low class army." He raised his head a bit at the male. "As I'm aware, all the soldiers here can take a lot. There's a low chance they'd break like that." He snapped his fingers. "But-" "I've answered your question, sit down." Tord demanded to the male, who huffed and harshly sat down on his chair. It was so hard it looked like it'd hurt if someone repeated the action. 

Tord pointed to another solider, this time it was Alex. "You, ask." He ordered. Alex stood up, stretching his arms a bit. "I get this would be a good weapon, but it seems like it would be too painful or terrifying for the soldiers." Alex folded his arms in front of him, inhaling before continuing. "I don't think a soldier, especially a new 0ne, would like to be treated as some experiment, isolated and only able to talk to the staff, plus the pain. Sure, pain killers could help but they can wear off much later which will cause the pain to come back. If we kept injecting them they could overdose, especially if it's supposed to be a higher dosage. How would they sleep with the pain as well? The prototype hasn't slept at all since you injected it, right? What's stopping that from happening to the soldiers? What if they develop some form of fatal insomnia, you're basically killing their mind for a week! It doesn't matter how strong they are, it will cause their minds to be fried. This also means that Liam is right." He pointed to the male who asked the first question, who seemed like he had more to say. "By doing this this could potentially lead into them not having a proper conscious, leading to them actually feasting on the enemies. Do we really want to risk all that to make the soliders look terrifying to them?" Alex slowly exhaled, which showed that he finished. 

Tord rubbed his chin, actually thinking about what he asked and about the cons he listed off. It outweighed the pros, really, the pros now didn't even seem like pros. He looked down at the desk for a few moments before answering. "We could use anaesthesia or sleeping pills instead, that could be used when the pills wear off and we can't give another because it's so strong." He replied simply. "That'll stop their mind from making them less conscious when the mutation finishes." Alex was about to ask the unanswered questions since he didn't think that was the best answer but he knew he'd be told to sit down so he just did, sighing. 

The rest were shorter, such as "why would anyone want to look like a monster? We cant reverse that!" "What if they become hostile to us?" "What if it doesn't work and kills us?" To those he gave a vague response, to satisfy them until they left and realised how bad of an answer it was. However, the ones who didn't ask yet were seeing how stupid these responses were. Finally, Tord decided to have one more question. It seemed his patience was wearing thin with all the people telling him it was a bad idea, when he wanted to go through with it. Suddenly, someone shot up. Tord stared at them as they gave a hateful glare. "If you're so sure about doing this then who's gonna do it first? Who's gonna be your little test rat?" He asked, growling at the end of it. Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded. When Tord failed to answer, he talked again. "Well? You can't think of one, can you?! That already shows it's a bad idea!" Everyone looked over at Tord who stared directly at the fool who asked this. Maybe he was stupid since Tord could literally blow his head off if he wanted to for even acting in that manner. Before he could speak again, Tord responded.

"I know." He said, which caught everyone off guard. Maybe he actually convinced Tord that this wasn't a good idea? Pat slowly looked over and saw a smile creep up on his face, which made him realise that he was not convinced. He had another idea. "If I can't find a solider, I'll just use someone else." "And who is this 'someone else'?!" He asked, slamming his hands on the table as he kept eye contact. Tord suddenly grinned and laughed a bit making everyone slowly back down in their seats. This unnerved them, even the fool who seemed to be tough enough to shout at Tord was unnerved, slowly hunching. "Me!"

Everyone paused before they all collectively shouted. "WHAT?!" They were shocked, sure Tord made some questionable decisions but they made some sort of sense. This was a dangerous experiment, it has too many cons and possibilities that could possibly cause the army's downfall. They truly never grasped how desperate Tord was for this, how desperate he was to finally have something to grow his army and take over. He would've sacrificed a few soldiers for the sake of testing really, through manipulating but he wasn't even going to attempt it?! He was just gonna go off to the deep end and make himself the rest rat?!

Paul quickly stood up, pat starting to quiver and cringe already. "Sir, are you insane?!" He shouted, waving his arms out. "You cannot do that! It's too dangerous, you're aware of how many risks are involved, right?!" "I am." He looked over at Paul who didn't back down at his stare this time, he was standing his ground. "Then why even try?! That idiot doesn't actually understand what he's fucking saying!" Pat stood up as soon as Paul finished that sentence. "Paul! Language!" He shouted, being surprised by how loud it was. He intended it to be softer than that. "No, Pat! You and I both know how stupid he's being!" Tord never took his eyes off Paul, not changing his expression yet. Paul would've said more before Tord spoke, a snarl appearing on his face. 

"I am the leader, I can make whatever choice I please. You have no say in this, I'm going to test it myself and that's final." Paul seemed to hunch down, realising he probably should've just listened to Pat. He knew he was right, this was a terrible idea; but Tord was also correct. He was the leader. He could really do what he wanted as long as it wasn't illegal, which this technically wasn't. If it was, he wouldn't even be able to set up this meeting. Tord leaned a bit forward, his silver eyes squinting. "Am I clear?" Tord asked slowly, scowling as he said it. Paul looked down, almost as if he was guilty and slowly sat back down. "Yes sir." He replied back, softer then he expected. Pat bit the inside of his cheek, fully recoiling as he he sat back down. While it was stupid of Paul to act like that he still felt bad for him. He intertwined his hands together with a strong grip which actually caused a dull pain. Everyone went silent, not making eye contact with their leader. They were all sitting and holding their breaths, hoping he didn't go off at them.

He didn't, thankfully. All he did was sigh and rub his temple. "I'm going to start the test, I'm putting Pat in charge while I do it. Don't disobey." Tord raised his head. "Now get out." He glared. As soon as he said that everyone got up, practically rushing out the office. The door frame stretched a bit, straining as it let everyone stumble out. Paul was shortly behind and automatically walked off, not being the type to run. He needed a smoke, he wanted to calm his nerves from that confrontation. The entire meeting was uncomfortable but that snarl Tord gave him, the fact he made Pat basically the leader when Paul would normally be the first option. It made his legs just feel weak. Before he could really get outside he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. He turned his head a bit to make sure he knew it was him and it was. 

Pat had managed to catch up with him, possibly being later then he would've liked since it was crowded everyone left. He had to push through and run at what he had to assume was the right direction, he had the possibility of being wrong but he thankfully wasn't. He breathed heavily, being exhausted and also hot from being near so many people who were practically squashing him. Paul sighed and looked at the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. "Hey.." Pat started softly. 

"Sorry about that.. I just didn't want him snapping at you." He patted his shoulder. "I also find it stupid." He chuckled a bit, trying to lighten the mood but Paul stayed silent for a few awkward moments before answering. "I should've listened." he mumbled, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You were angry, that's reasonable." Pat smiled at Paul, a friendly smile which he always carried. "Let's just hope it goes well." He patted his back before sighing. "I have to go, I need to check in with the staff and Tord. I'll see you later, okay?" Paul nodded, not responding verbally as he moved his shoulder away from pat's grasp, walking away from him. Pat did a small wave, even though Paul wouldn't have noticed and turned around, walking the opposite direction with a smile still on his face, yet a grim expression along with it. He really hoped it would go well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lab was tense, yet ready for the week long experiment on their own leader. Little did they know how fast it would effect the human body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Animalistic behavior, body horror/nightmares fuel, human experimentation, gore, human transmutation and cursing/swearing.

Tord honestly didn’t know what to expect when he was taken into the lab but he definitely didn’t expect them to suggest taking his clothes off and changing into the usual, old garments that were used for patients.It was stained with vomit from the previous patient, some ripped ends and misshapen holes all over which were probably from moths or mice, it definitely wasn’t cleaned properly. It seemed more as if they scrubbed it half heartedly, rinsed it and then threw it out to dry. Maybe he was being dramatic, that didn't change the fact that there was no way he was wearing this. 

So, he made a “compromise”. He’d wear his red hoodie instead. When the staff asked ‘why not wear that? It’s old, it won’t matter if it gets ruined’ he said that he didn’t care, frankly. He just didn’t want to wear it. This made everyone collectivity sigh, mentally.

It didn't matter to Tord anyway. If his blue army uniform was ruined that wouldn’t be good. He didn't want to ruin that; but his hoodie was old, he felt as if it wasn’t as important anymore. It was from a time when he didn't even have a proper army, when he lived with the three other males. He didn't think about them much, they were useless to him. Harsh but it was the truth. This didn't mean he hated them, he still had fond memories of them, he just didn't smile at them anymore but that wasn’t the point. 

He didn't care if this hoodie got ruined, he couldn’t pinpoint why he thought this but he knew this is what he wanted. If that's what he wanted, that was final. Nothing could change his mind about it, even if he had an hour long discussion on it. After they took the old garments away, he unbuttoned and removed his blue uniform, folded it up and passed it to Alex, one of his trusted soldiers who walked off and put it away for him. Tord shifted his hoodie up a bit, feeling weird to just have his hoodie on. Normally he’d take that off too and just have a shirt but it was far too cold in that lab to just have a shirt. 

After that he was put into the bullet proof glass enclosure which was designed to be extremely tough, it’d be easier than making it metal. He’d be easier to see, easier to observe. The entrance shut, leaving him basically helpless. He needed a certain gas first to put him to sleep before they injected him, simply because they didn't want to take any risks. They assumed it'd take a week for him to do his full transition but even then, not taking that risk. He stood there and watched the shoot from the top open, the staff put on masks so they also didn't fall asleep. Tord could smell it once it was let in, which is when he sat down so he wouldn’t hit the cold, hard tile. He stared forward, his blinking slowing. His muscles began to relax, his vision started to blur and become dark, his head fell and so did his entire body, giving into the gas.

He was injected shortly after they turned off the gas and once they were assured that he was completely unconscious. They then waited hours for him. He slept through most of the day which actually prompted them to feel for a pulse a couple of times to make sure he was actually alive since he’d barely moved. He was so stiff, so unresponsive. 

They really expected nothing now, since he hadn’t shown any changes throughout the day so most of them left the room to write this down. They left two in there, expecting nothing to happen while they were gone. 

Tord, however, started to move. The two scientists didn’t seem worried at first, maybe a bit surprised since he was finally moving but soon they became concerned when his breathing became more shallow, he seemed to be scratching at the floor like he was having a nightmare. One slowly approached, as if she was walking towards a ticking time bomb. She froze up when he stopped, seeming to relax again. 

She stayed in the same position for a few minutes for what seemed like a century before she saw Tord practically break his shoulder, twisting it upwards. His hand slammed onto the tile before it pushed him upwards, his head still down. All she could see was his hair, concealing his face. His bones creaked awkwardly as he got to his knees. She wanted to step away but her body couldn’t perform the action. He slowly stood up, hunched over for a bit before raising his head up, finally showing his face. 

Even if he had slept for almost twenty four hours he looked exhausted, his eyes were heavily dilated like a cat and there seemed to be some discoloration on his left cheek. He stared dead at her, his expression hard to read. She finally spoke. “Sir?” She reached her hand over a bit before he suddenly threw his arm back and slammed it onto the glass which vibrated harshly at the sudden hit. She jumped back, squeaking in fright as her legs suddenly performed the action to step back. The other scientist quickly ran out the room, he needed to notify the rest. 

The others, meanwhile, were talking to the higher up soldiers. Paul, Pat, Yandov, Yuu and Alex. They were discussing the basics of what was going on, what they saw. Which was just him sleeping, barely moving. Of course they hadn’t seen him awakening and becoming instantly aggressive, the discoloration and the fact he didn’t look like he had even slept. They were all bored, rather calm before the scientist bursted through the door, immediately causing a massive disturbance which they couldn’t ignore. 

The male stood there for a minute, sweat dripping from his face. It was probably due to the amount of running he had just done and the fear. His icy blue eyes were constricted as he dribbled. Pat immediately spoke up. “Adam! What’s wrong??” He asked, pushing past the others to reach the shocked male with Paul following. He was babbling, unable to make a coherent sentence, just repeating “leader” which made it clear he was referring to Tord.

After a few moments of babbling, Paul shoved Pat to the side and grabbed him harshly by the shoulders. “What about him? What happened?!” He shouted, the cigarette in his mouth threatening to fall out. He finally blurted out. “He-He’s awake! The effect! He’s-he’s!-“ “He’s what?!” Paul asked louder, impatient yet concerned. “It’s happening!” Adam finally exclaimed. Paul’s face seemed to go pale, along with Pat who had a look of shock before he shouted. “Back to the lab!” Paul let go of Adam's shoulders temporarily before firmly grabbing his wrist, running with him. It was chaos, it wasn’t the biggest hallway so that was expected. 

Once they reached it they saw the girl outside, fumbling with her hands. Adam instantly ran over, now pulling the tired, wheezing Paul along. “Annie!! Are you okay?!” He asked, checking her. She nodded. “I-I’m fine! Just shocked.” She tried to chuckle but failed miserably. 

Paul looked through the small window of the door and saw Tord had seemed to go back to a quiet, sleeping state except his head was looking straight at the door, his eyes still heavily dilated. Paul felt unnerved, as if he was staring directly at him, his prey. Pat pushed in a bit to see as well and that’s when him and Paul saw his eyes return to their usual state. They held their breath as he slowly sat up, rubbing his shoulder which he had cracked earlier. He coughed, clearly uncomfortable. 

Pat slowly looked at Paul, wondering if it was a good idea for both of them to enter. Pat soon sighed as he slowly turned the handle and even without the door clicking Tord whipped his head over, his eyes wide like he was ready to take flight. Pat paused before pushing it open, revealing himself. 

However, this didn’t seem to jog Tord’s memory. He stared, eyes still wide. Pat slowly walked over, making sure he didn’t make very fast or sudden movements towards him. He felt as if at any moment he would take flight even if that was impossible. As he got closer, Tord suddenly let out a low snarl as he seemed to take the defensive position of a cat. His hands seemed to be trying to grip the ground, his heels were off the floor and his back was arched in what seemed an uncomfortable position. Pat stayed still, frozen. “Sir?” He softly called out, seeing if this would make Tord recognize him. He growled again as Pat tried to move closer. He froze again.

Eventually Paul stepped a bit to the side which instantly caught Tord’s attention, his eyes darted back and forth as if Pat was going to attack him otherwise. Paul inhaled before saying in a stern tone. “Tord.” 

It went quiet as Tord slowly took his eyes off Pat and stared at Paul, pupils constricted. It reminded Paul of that stare from the meeting, when Tord called him out. He felt uncomfortable but didn’t look away. He felt extremely concerned when his eyes began to dilate again as he stayed completely still. Paul slowly moved to the side, just to see if his eyes would follow. They did, he didn’t dare take them off him. He didn’t even blink, he just stared. Paul eventually turned his head. “Put on the gas-“ he ordered until sickening creaks suddenly came from behind him. Everyone seemed to go from slight horror to disgusted shock, one of them even gagged. Paul slowly turned his head before he saw what they were seeing and he covered his mouth. 

Tord was twisted, his torso seeming to have been twisted like a wet rag. His ribs poked out, seeming to have been pushed up from all the twisting. His shoulder blades seemed to be trying to escape the flesh, which was barely holding together. His arms seemed to be stretching, it was more the left one which had some discolouration now like the left side of his face. His bones seemed to be trying to restructure, like they had already been broken for several months and were now forcefully fixing themselves. Paul stared, realising that Tord seemed to have snapped out of it by now which meant he felt everything. 

Tears were pouring out, his neck snapped a couple of times as he seemed to be trying to not snap it at all. He was clearly in pure agony. Paul suddenly seemed to snap out of his shock and whipped around again. “Don’t just stand there!!” He screamed, snapping everyone out of it. “Put on the gas, as soon as he's asleep inject painkillers! He could die!!” He demanded, spit flying due to his anger and panic. Everyone quickly rushed to put their masks on, one getting ready to let the gas out. Once everyone placed their mask on they quickly let it loose. 

However, unlike before, it didn't take just thirty seconds. It seemed to take minutes as he squirmed and snapped. During this he let out the most pained, piercing shriek any of them had ever heard from him. His voice seemed to break horribly, becoming hoarse. His back arched as he seemed to finally have it take full effect, going silent again as he laid there. Even then, his eyes were bulged open; constricted, bloodshot, glossy and listless. 

They pumped in the strongest painkiller they could, careful to make sure he didn’t overdose. They never took their eyes off him, they'd just change around so they didn’t become tired and miss anything. The ones who stayed there the longest were Pat and Paul, the most concerned. Paul only left a couple of times for a quick smoke to calm his nerves.

Tord woke up after a couple of hours but due to the painkillers he was more drowsy, in a daze. He seemed to be back to his normal self, which was good since he wasn’t in that state of mind where he didn't even seem to recognise them; however, he couldn’t exactly help them with what happened. Why he seemed to snap suddenly into a different state of mind, if he felt pain during the bone reconstruction or even if he knew what happened. He was too drugged up at that moment. They had to wait until the drugs wore off so he could tell them anything useful.

Two days later they heard about how he was not in a daze anymore, he seemed to be back to his normal self with just two problems. He was sleep deprived even if he was sleeping most of the time and he still seemed to randomly snap into that, well, ‘animal’ mode where he’d growl and become extremely aggressive and sensitive to noise. It wasn’t as bad as last time but it was concerning. Paul and Pat decided to go in anyway, they wanted answers.

Once they entered the lab they saw Tord sitting on the floor, scratching at the glass. Thing is his fingers seemed longer, sharper even. Tord didn't take his eyes off his fingers, still dragging it across the bullet proof glass. Paul immediately walked over and kneeled in front of him. “Tord.” He pressed his hand against the glass a bit as Tord looked up, his eyebrows rose. He seemed to recognize him now, but he didn’t verbally respond at all. 

Pat sat down next to Paul with a worried expression. “Are you okay?” He asked, even if he knew it was a possibly stupid question to ask. Tord rubbed his throat and nodded, insinuating that he didn't want to speak. They assumed it was from the scream he let out two days prior. Paul straightened up as he spoke. “Do you remember what happened?” He asked.

Tord seemed to ponder the question, searching through his memories to see if he remembered which meant that it was silent, so silent that it was uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. “I woke up for a moment… I saw an intruder and I tried to attack it.” He responded quietly, his voice hoarse and damaged. “Intruder?” Pat asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. 

“Yeah… I don’t know how they even got in... You got rid of it, right??” He asked, almost in worry. “You killed it, right?” Paul and Pat looked at each other, they knew he was talking about the staff member but they didn’t know how to tell him that it wasn’t an intruder. Paul spoke again. “No.” Tord stared at him for a moment, almost looking terrified before Paul noticed how heavy his breathing had become. He frowned, confused before he saw his eyes dilate again. Paul removed his hand from the glass before Tord slammed his hand into the glass again, making both of them flinch. 

“Why?” He drooled, growling as if he was angry they didn't kill their own which he thought was an intruder. Paul answered quickly. “Because it wasn’t an intruder, sir.” Tord went silent, narrowing his eyes. He didn't believe him in the slightest, like Paul would lie to him about an intruder not being caught, being killed. Pat quickly spoke. “It was a staff member, Annie Leanne. She came near the glass because she had seen you wake up. She was checking on you-“ he was interrupted as Tord banged the glass again. 

“BULL SHIT!” He yelled, turning more into a roar. If he kept this up, he would lose his voice completely. Pat’s eyes widened a bit realising the error they had made, the error everyone dismissed and did not take into account, even if it had been mentioned openly. The error tord didn't listen to. 

What if it got hostile towards the army? What if it saw everything as an intruder? Pat stared at Tord and realised how stupid he was to not think of this earlier, he could’ve avoided this so easily. Tord wouldn’t be in this situation right now. 

“We need to cancel the experiment.'' he said quickly, standing, which made everyone stare at him in shock except for Tord who stared at him with his still dilated eyes. Paul quickly stood up. “What do you mean cancel?” He asked in confusion. “Sedate him, get this thing out of him!” He pointed at the monster, the ‘leader’. Paul seemed shocked at the demand. 

“Pat. We’ve already given him a lot of sleeping gas, what if it really fucks him up? What if removing it kills him?!” He asked, throwing his arms out. “We don't know that! It’s obvious how dangerous this is!” Pat then started to pace. 

“He thought Annie was an intruder, his entire body practically broke itself to reconstruct which was obviously painful, we’ve put him to sleep twice and already need to give a heavy dose of painkillers! It’s only been three days and there’s been little progress anyway except for when he woke up after the first day.” His hands slapped to his sides before he stormed up to Paul, grabbing his shoulders. “We need to cancel it, Paul. Now.”

Paul stared at him, seeming speechless. The tension in that room was high as Paul grabbed his arm and removed them from his person. “I don't think we can. We haven’t even figured out if it’s a parasite that entered, if it’s tainted his blood, if his brain is already too damaged to fix or how his organs even look! What if we cut him open and the bones get in our way? He twisted his spine, snapped his shoulder which still works, his ribs were poking out of him like he was anorexic, his neck snapped, his shoulder blades ripped some skin, the entire left side of him is discoloured and he doesn’t snap his bones, they creak! Surgery on him could be extremely volatile, we can’t risk that!” He objected, shaking his head. 

As this happened, Tord went back to his normal state. When he did he felt like half his body was...numb. The entire left side, it felt like it fell asleep on him. He slowly raised his left hand to look and saw that it was turning red, rapidly. The rest was grey but that was also catching up. He stared in shock as he grabbed it with his right hand which had also seemed to have some discoloration. He started shaking as he realised that his vision was wrong.

Not in the blurry sense, it looked like he was wearing rose tinted glasses. He looked around as everything was a light red but that started to also change rapidly. It became redder, darker. His left eye started growing darker than the other, blackening. He started panicking, feeling around that eye. He kept covering it, rapidly blinking. He hoped maybe it was because he hadn’t blinked, that he was tired. That wasn’t the case, it just kept going black until it was fully dark in that one eye. His breathing quickened, which wasn’t noticed since they were having a full blown argument about stopping the experiment, how it failed and they needed to do surgery when that could be extremely dangerous. Tord closed his eyes as he covered his ears, all he could hear was ringing. The voices, they were too loud.

It sounded like they were screaming with a megaphone right into his ear. He bit his lip, his blunt teeth doing nothing before he felt the tension go to his teeth. He rubbed his mouth, his jaw aching. It was so painful he bit down on his tongue before he heard what seemed to be a squelch before something slapped the ground. His eyes shot open, only one working now. Everyone heard the sudden slap and looked over at the glass before all their eyes widened in horror.

He had just bitten his tongue off. Half his tongue was on the ground, it was a clean cut. Blood still dropped onto it, joining the puddle that surrounded it. Tord looked down in horror, his jaw dropped slightly. That was until he got distracted by the awful amount of pain that followed. He screamed, still hoarse as he covered his mouth. They looked at Tord, trying to see past his hands. They couldn’t see what was making him scream in pain until Tord removed his hands, letting out a pained sob. His teeth had grown, they were razor sharp. The ones near the corners of his mouth had reached down his neck, the roots looking red. It was blood, his gums were bleeding. That's why he was sobbing now.

It felt like a dentist had just yanked his tooth down, tiny knives surrounded the roots and cut the inside of their resting place, the gums. Tears fell down his face as blood dribbled down to the very bottom of those new, sharp fangs. He held the sides of his face, where his jaw was. He felt like two hooks grappled the jaw and stretched it out with zero care. His cheeks felt tense, like the muscles worked in overdrive to keep his mouth from ripping. 

One thing Tord didn’t notice though was the fact that his hair had also had some discolouring. Half of his hair was now dark brown instead of caramel. All of a sudden Tord started gagging violently, falling onto the floor. He held his throat, going into a coughing fit. Everyone went against the glass, they were useless. No one could really help him, they weren’t sure if they could.

After a few seconds of gagging and coughing, which seemed like minutes, there was a disturbing squelch sound again. They looked closely and Annie screamed in fright as soon as she saw what it was. He wasn't choking on anything, his tongue was growing. It looked like it was liquid, being pushed through the wound, the cut. It was longer than his last one, more red. It stopped and slowly healed around that area, becoming indecipherable. It was like it had always been there. Tord inhaled sharply, finally able to breathe again. One of his eyes had already blackened, his skin on the left side was red. It looked more like burn marks, darkening around the edges. 

Paul quickly gestured to get the masks, he wanted to turn on the gas again and put Tord to sleep for the third time. Adam quickly ran, trying to grab as many as he could while the rest watched, unable to help. Tord shivered, the throbbing pain being the only thing he could focus on. 

It then became worse when he felt like his flesh was being ripped apart from his shoulders, the shoulder blades and elbows. He yanked down the hood, seeing how his flesh was barely even holding. He could see his muscles parting, seeing a sharp bone threatening to come out, vibrating against the muscle. He then yelled out a curse as the flesh finally couldn’t hold together, the muscle parted as sharp broken bones protruded from those now open wounds, blood rolling down; but it stopped after a few seconds as new flesh quickly covered the bones, creating needle sharp edges. Paul shouted at Adam, who seemed to be taking forever in gathering the masks. 

Tord sputtered, blood following. His eyes couldn’t focus, at least the one that wasn't blackened out. His vision went in and out of focus as he looked around, it was so red. Everything was tinted with blood red, the only time when he wouldn’t see red is when he’d shut his eyes but that was pure darkness. It also seemed brighter, almost blinding. He squinted his eyes before he felt it. He looked at his hands, his fingers.. now they were ripping. His nail shivered, as if something was under it. He shook his head, no.. no he couldn’t take this, why couldn’t it end? Why couldn’t he just sleep again?

He then felt his back vibrate, it was like gears were getting ready to move. His spine tingled and he already knew he was going to break under this pressure. His ears rang loudly, even if no one was speaking he thought they were. They all shouted, screamed at him incoherent nonsense. He looked at the ground as he sweat, looking at the previous tongue he had bitten off.

He finally lost it, throwing his head up. “SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!-“ he screamed which was interrupted by the fact his voice finally broke, letting out an angry yet distressed outcry as his spine moved down, seeming to elongate as it grew bigger, rapidly. 

It was at light speed as it ripped out of his lower back as a thick, boney tail. The muscle seemed to follow but it was dark red, it covered the bones and seemed to be coming from his torso. They could see it move around, going to his new tail. It fully covered and soon after, it pulsed as new flesh covered it. What they were barely able to catch was the fact the muscle parted as tiny holes all the way from the root to the end, the skin also split around these areas. It took a moment but it finally had sharp bones jut out, the root one being thicker and bigger but getting slimmer and smaller as it reached the end. They all became a darker grey. 

As that happened, his fingernails split as bones quickly bulged from his fingers which were also split, they had already seemed to be growing darker as they grew, ripping both his hands and splitting them. The flesh and previous muscle seemed to be forcefully removed by the new muscle which broke the attachment of the flesh, splatting onto the ground, along with the finger nails which sounded like an earthquake for Tord. The muscle covered the jagged bones, following with the skin which now made them a thick set of claws. 

When they both finished, Tord’s eye rolled as he slammed his head into the glass which made everyone jump. Tears fell down slowly as his face slid to the floor, the blackened eye staring at them all. He had finally passed out, his mind nor body could take it anymore. What they didn't realise immediately was that it had successfully broken his mind, his human instincts had now dropped and his mind quickly started to develop as he laid there, motionless.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW!Blood, gore, deaths (minor characters) and mentions of vomit (not that descriptive)

It was deadly quiet once Tord fell to the ground, everyone had basically lost their voices once the very quick mutation took place. They were like statues, unmoving. That’s before Annie put her hands to the sides of her head, closed her eyes and let out a shriek in horror, breaking out into a sob as everyone seemed to snap out of it. Some rushed over to calm her down, others ran to the inclosure to see if Tord was breathing. Paul stood wide eyed, the cigarette falling out of his mouth as his jaw lowered. The entire room was ringing, all he could hear is the muffled voices of his workers. 

Was he dead? Did Tord just die in front of their very eyes? Was the pain so unbearable it caused his entire body to go into shut down? Or was he just passed out? So many questions yet they went by so fast he couldn’t keep up. He was trying so hard to focus on one and answer it but it would slip away and be blocked by another question no matter what. 

Pat turned his head to face Adam, who stood shell shocked with some masks loosely in his hands. Pat’s face turned into a snarl as he stormed over and grabbed Adam’s collar, pulling him forwards. His grip on the masks quickly evaporated as they all hit the ground. “Why did you just stand there?!” He bellowed, staring down at the still shocked male. Everyone was so loud, Pat’s loudness didn’t change this. Adam didn’t answer him, he just stared at him with constricted pupils. 

Pat pulled him closer, now causing him to be on his tippy toes. “Why did you just stand there, Adam?!” He asked again, louder than before. Some soldiers noticed Pat’s anger becoming unhinged, he looked as if he was going to kill him on the spot. Some ran over, hauling him away. Pat continued to yell at Adam who had begun to back away out of fear. 

Pat tried to throw himself forward many times, saliva flying as he screamed at him, demanding answers as to why he froze up and just allowed Tord to go through all of the pain fully conscious. One soldier even had to get behind pat and wrap his bulked up arms around his chest to hold him back, so he couldn’t throw himself forward. This was because the ones holding his arms were struggling to not accidentally let him go because of the amount of force he used to try and hurt Adam. He even tried to jump many times to get close. He now was unable to, only throwing his head forward. Even if he tried, they had a better grip on him. 

Paul suddenly covered his mouth as he ran out, holding his stomach with his other hand. He almost slipped and slammed his entire body into the wall as he ran down the hallway. Pat looked over as this happened and suddenly ripped himself into the direction of Paul, which the soldiers didn’t expect. Two lost their grip, the ones holding his arms. The one holding him from the back however was pinched with great force which would’ve broken the skin, which made him instantly let go as Pat sprinted after Paul in worry. 

Paul sprinted, stumbling a bit as he held his mouth tightly. He didn't even realise Pat had followed him out nor his outburst. He couldn’t even hear Pat calling out his name and even if he did he wouldn’t have responded. He was about to lose his stomach, the contents from earlier starting to rise as he gagged in his hand. He felt hope as he saw the bathroom sign but he panicked, scrambling more to reach the room. He was so close, so unbelievably close to reaching it. 

Pat seemed confused as Paul slammed into the wall a bit, skidding to a halt at the bathroom before he shoved the door open, practically collapsing since he put all his balance forwards. Pat quickly grabbed hold of the door frame, abruptly halting which almost made him fall forward. Paul tripped to the toilet where he just grabbed the seat and expelled the contents from his stomach. Pat cringed as he stuck his head in, hearing the noise instantly. He was used to the gore, the constant deaths and corpses but not vomit. 

Paul hunched over, only doing this for a minute with pauses in between. It sounded like he was choking, which he really felt. It felt like chunks tried to come through his nose which made him cough and snort. When he finished he stood there, breathing heavily as his half lidded, blurred eyes stared down at the spew. He gagged a couple more times, expecting to hurl again but it seemed as if nothing more would come out. He stumbled back, letting go of the toilet seat as he banged into the wall behind him as he slid down. Pat quickly walked over, kneeling down in front of him. 

He slapped him lightly on the cheek as Paul’s eyes seemed to be unable to properly focus on Pat’s face. “Paul? Paul!” He shook him lightly as he saw Paul’s eyes slowly look in his general direction. He felt his forehead to check his temperature and held his hand, seeing how shaky it was. Pat’s anger had completely diminished, now filled with complete worry and alarm. He had never seen Paul completely lose his stomach before. 

Pat wrapped his arms underneath Paul’s armpits, slowly standing since he wasn't sure if Paul could get himself up. He finally stood straight and saw how Paul was barely standing, possibly from the fact he was shaking violently and he had just ran down a long hallway and kept stumbling around. Pat moved himself next to Paul, shifting himself so he had an arm over Paul for support and also Paul’s arm so he could hold on. He tried to walk along with Paul trudging next to him, his footsteps ringing in his ears. He needed to get him back to the office, there was a bed there. It wasn’t the best but it was the closest, closer than the lab which held Tord. He didn't want to risk taking Paul back only to have him throw up again or worse, faint. 

After what seemed like several minutes, he reached the office and used his free hand to turn the handle. He pulled Paul in, sitting him down on the computer chair as he groaned. “Don’t move.” He ordered. “I’ll be right back.” He clicked his tongue as he quickly ran out of the office, speeding right back to the lab. Pat made it just as everyone had started calming down.

Annie was forcefully sat down near the cabinets with a barf bag, seeming to have lost her own stomach like Paul more thanlikely due to an anxiety attack. She was extremely pale, eyes wide and staring just at her feet. She was avoiding eye contact with anyone, eye contact towards her now still leader and the contents in the bag. One of the other soldiers, Liam, was next to her and still making sure she was alright and not about to either have another attack or vomit. Pat shook his head as he went to the cabinet and pulled out at least two drawers, messing up the order of where things were placed to find what he needed. Barf bag. He also needed to get some water but he could grab that from the break room. 

He felt the bulkier soldier who held him back earlier, Wayne, grab his shoulder. “Slows down there, what are you doing?” He asked, confused by Pat’s scrambling. He suddenly had his collar yanked down at eye level to Pat. “Where. Are. The barf bags?” He asked in a chilling, cold tone which immediately caught Wayne off guard. “They’re in the bottom drawer-“ he replied before he was shoved back by the other disorganised male who yanked out the bottom draw with so much force the drawer shook in fright. He immediately saw the bag and grabbed it, running out the room and leaving the drawers in disarray. 

The soldiers tried to follow, tried to grab him to stop him but he was too fast and disappeared down the hallway which left them staring in disappointment. These were the higher up soldiers, who weren’t even looking at what was going on in the lab until they heard Annie shout. “Adam! Stop!” Along with Liam, who seemed to be trying to threaten him. They quickly came back in, seeing that Adam had opened the inclosure and was a step away from entering. Alex shouted. “Adam Goldsworthy! Step away from the door!” He was quickly met with Adam’s face, turning to look him in the eye. He looked distraught, his eyes unblinking, completely bloodshot. He dribbled, mouth agape, his cheeks stained with tears. 

Alex’s breathing shifted slightly, making his way over to Adam calmly, arms up in the air to show he wasn’t going to hurt him. “Shut the door, Adam.“ is all he said as he then stood in front of him before Adam swiftly turned. Alex felt something sharp slice him across his cheek. He barely had time to react before he was kicked in the shin, yelling out in pain as he stumbled, his backside harshly slamming into the floor. Adam then rushed into the enclosure, shutting the door to it immediately before the others could stop him. Yandov began yelling at Adam, demanding he get out of there while Yuu pleaded with him. Neither of it worked as he held the scalpel, which he had been hiding, up to the door. He was ready to use it if they made their way in. 

Alex groaned, slowly lifting himself up as he felt his entire shin radiate in pain. He already knew it was going to bruise, he could feel it. The clothes pressed against it too much, causing more soreness. Wayne slid over, kneeling. “Wayne.” He breathed. “Just-“ he grunted as he tried to move his leg slightly, which caused more pain. “Roll it up.” He huffed, which Wayne managed to understand. He quickly rolled up the pants and as soon as he did his face went to extreme worry. It was pulsing, the leg seemed to bend back slightly. He knew it wasn’t broken but it was damaged badly. 

As he gently pressed his hands against the leg, seeing and confirming the damage, Alex felt something warm roll down his cheek. He lifted his hand and rubbed around that area and looked down. It was red, blood red. He dragged his finger on the cut and found it to be at least four inches long and was quite a neat, clean cut. Suddenly, he felt like he was lifted off the ground. Wayne then ran out the room with him, taking Alex to the nurse. This left Alex occupied, meaning Yuu, Yandov, Liam, Annie and the rest of the staff had to try and convince Adam to get out of the enclosure. 

They were unsure as to why he even went in until they saw him slowly back himself to Tord who was still completely still. “Adam! You are in danger if you stay in there, leave now!” Yandov demanded but Adam didn’t listen. He slowly knelt down, still with the scalpel pointing at them but his eyes darted between them and Tord. He slowly brought his hand towards his neck before he felt for a pulse which gave them their answer.

He went in there because he wasn’t sure if Tord was dead, he couldn’t hear his breathing since it was so quiet and shallow. When Pat screamed at him, he instantly seemed to realise his error in freezing up and watching as his leader suffered. He wanted to be sure but that didn’t excuse the fact he was in massive danger being with a potential weapon. Yes, he was passed out but that didn’t mean he was safe. Adam pressed, holding his own breath before sighing in relief, indicating that he felt one. 

Adam finally stood up, walking to the door to finally open it and just as he grabbed the handle he heard something from behind him. The others looked down and horror filled their faces. Adam heard the low scowl from Tord, who had woken up. He turned his head slightly as he saw that Tord was staring directly at him. Adam froze up, hand on the handle as he watched Tord slowly begin to stand. The others seemed to freeze up as well. Tord creaked as he got to his knees and then stood, hunched over as he stared at Adam. Before he suddenly snapped his back, posture straightening. His neck followed, snapping as he tilted it. Everyone was silent before Adam suddenly regained control of his body.

As to not make any sudden movements, he slowly turned the handle and began to push, completely refusing to turn his back on him. As soon as the door opened wider, Tord’s pupils constricted as he suddenly sprung into action, letting out a roar as he threw himself at Adam. Adam shoved the door open, stumbling out as he went to slam the door on Tord. Everyone stepped back so he could get through.

Tord’s arm quickly stopped the door from shutting all the way, grabbing Adam’s arm tightly. Adam began to pull first, yelling for help from his fellow workers who watched as Tord’s grip hardened. Adam screamed louder as sickening cracks came from his arm, tears quickly flooding as Tord began to pull. His face slammed against the door, he was stuck like glue. He tried to use his free hand to shove himself back but it was hopeless. Quickly, Yandov ran over to try and get Tord to let go. He wasn’t going to, his strength was overpowered.

Yandov managed to barely move his hand as Tord tried to grab his arm as well with his other hand. Adam screamed louder as Yandov whipped his head towards Liam. “Tranquilizers! Now!” Liam quickly obeyed, standing up to grab exactly that before Adam let out a piercing shriek as blood suddenly splattered. Everyone gasped as Tord ripped the flesh apart and swallowed his arm whole. 

Adam let off his weight from the door because of his now missing arm, staring in horror before the door came flying back into him, pinning him behind it and the bullet proof glass. His ribs cracked due to the force, his voice hoarse as he screeched. Tord then quickly lunged himself at Yandov who didn’t react in time, making him go flying back into the wall. He grunted loudly as he went to yell, raising his head before he was interrupted and gurgled. He spat out blood, the red liquid running down his chin as his voice box was crushed, as well as his windpipe. His eyes dilated, quickly rolling as he went limp not even a few seconds after. Tord had bit right down on his jugular, almost decapitating him as he let him go. He slid down the wall and slumped, blood running down from his neck and to his clothes.

Everyone screamed as Tord stood up, blood staining his face and teeth. Yuu suddenly threw himself at Tord, his weight making them both thud to the ground. Yuu managed to get lucky, rolling him on his stomach so he could lay on his back. “Annie!” He shouted, catching the woman’s attention. “Move it now! Notify the army of his escape! We need to evacuate!” He ordered, getting a quick nod from her as he scrambled, sprinting out the room and up the hall to the office. Yuu suddenly felt a sharp pain go through his back, he shouted a curse in agony as his entire back from the lower to the upper was pierced by the horns on Tord’s tail. 

Yuu didn’t let his weight off however, turning his head. “Get out! Evacuate!” He screamed at the rest of the staff who stood there in horror. Some had helped Adam, who was in so much pain he could barely breathe. Suddenly, Tord lifted himself up as Yuu held onto his sharp shoulders, the horns on his shoulder blades threatening to stab him. Tord arched back, roaring as he ran forward into a wall, slamming into it as Yuu barely managed to stop himself from being penetrated by the horns. The others ran, one having Adam over his shoulder since Adam was unable to run. This left Liam who had the gun, ready to fire at Tord. 

Just as he aimed and went to shoot but as he did Tord flung forward, hunching so when he shot the tranquilizer hit Yuu in his hip. Liam’s eyes widened as Yuu yelled out another curse. “You fucking shot me!” Liam shook his head and replied. “He fucking moved!” He shouted back as Yuu suddenly slammed into the ground with Tord, who threw himself backwards. This meant his shoulder blades penetrated his chest, which had barely stopped in front of the lungs. Yuu inhaled sharply, hissing in pain as Liam suddenly whacked Tord across the head with the gun, kicking him in the side which got him off Yuu. 

He quickly dragged Yuu up, walking as fast as he could out of the door before slamming it behind him. He huffed as he wrapped his arms around Yuu’s waist, throwing him over his shoulder as he made a run for it just as Tord bursted through the door, the door breaking in half as he slammed into the wall. His bones cracked but he didn’t seem to care, snapping his head over to see them running. 

The intruders, the enemies. They were getting away. He let out a loud growl as he ran at high speeds, starting to catch up. They reached the end of the hall which led to a sharp turn and as Tord went to grab them, Yuu pushed all his weight to the right, causing Liam to stumble to the side as Tord lunged past them, barely missing them as he slammed his entire body into the wall. Yuu inhaled sharply as he heard many guns be drawn which caught Tord’s attention. He cracked his head over and looked at the row of higher trained army members, the ones who had access to the bigger guns, the ones who had very good aim. 

Tord slowly stood him, his attention taken off Yuu and Liam as they ran for it. If they had stayed they would’ve noticed how he hadn’t turned into a complete rabid animal since he had common sense. If he charged at Liam and Yuu, they would’ve all shot at him and then he would’ve been trapped with them. Tord stood straight, claws calmly at his sides as he examined everyone. His vision was blood red and his brain whispered to him. 

‘Enemies.’ 

They were enemies, intruders. They had invaded his territory, they were going to raid his domain. Invaders that entered the area deserved one thing, death. He drooled, licking his teeth a bit as he suddenly lowered down, his hand opening as his claws reflected in the light. He charged, a twisted grin on his face as they began shooting. However it seemed to only get him in his legs and arms. For the more human parts, the parts that weren’t a burnt red, it went right through with nothing else to change that; but for the ones with redness and sharp edges it ricocheted off, shooting back at a couple of the soldiers which caused them to either die on impact or be unable to help any further. 

As bullets flew Tord reached the soldiers, the front lines being first to go down. Blood sprayed everywhere and painted the room a crimson red. The walls, the floor, the ceiling and other guards. Some had even caught some blood in their mouths, spitting it to the ground. As this happened, the announcer ringed as Annie panicky spoke through the speaker, telling the rest of the army members to evacuate which they already knew how and that if they heard gunshots or growling to get away from it as soon as possible. 

As she spoke most men had dropped to the ground, deceased while fewer seemed to start running out the area and the rest were still opening fire onto the monster that consumed the leader. The men running could hear all their comrades' bones snap, their yells, the squelching and thuds their bodies made; however as Tord powered through all of the army men he saw the cowards running. They were getting away, they’d come back more prepared. He got one more kill before the rest decided that they were too scared to shoot anymore. They ran, dropping their weapons in a panic.

Yuu and Liam ran to the nurse’s office, barging through the door. Alex and Wayne held their guns up before they realised who it was, putting down the weapons. “Liam?! Yuu?!” Alex asked, surprised as he sat in his bed, unable to stand. Wayne jogged over, shoving them over slightly as he barracked the door again. Liam carried Yuu over, setting him down. “How’s the leg?” Yuu asked.

“I don’t think you should worry about that when you have two holes in your chest.” Alex replied, pointing at Yuu’s puncture wounds. Yuu let out a shaky sigh. “I’m fine, really. It didn’t get my lungs.” He responded, reassuring him. “You’re still bleeding.” He pointed out which made Yuu sigh in annoyance. “I know. I had to hold Tord down and he punctured my backside-“ “You’re backside?!” Alex exclaimed, shocked. “Yeah, his tail did it.” Shortly after he said that, Wayne suddenly spoke after barracking the door. “Yuu. What’s that in your hip?” 

Yuu looked down and remembered that he was shot in the hip by that tranquilizer. “Liam went to shoot Tord and instead he shot me.” He quickly summarised, pulling it out and tossing it to the side. “Wait, how aren’t you asleep yet?” Alex asked, confused. “It hit me in the hip. The bone.” They all gawked, confused as Yuu rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighing in annoyance yet again. “It needs to hit more fleshy areas in order to have it work, to circulate. Since I was hit in a more boney area, it didn’t properly go in. Therefore, I’m not gonna pass out.” 

They all nodded in understanding before Wayne picked up Alex again. “We should leave, it would be dangerous if we stayed.” Yuu and Liam looked confused. “But if we leave, Tord could come back our way or even find the exit.” Liam pointed out. “But if we stay here he could sniff us out. It’s either we’re lucky and survive, we die or die again.” Yuu said, rubbing his chin as he started to seem more drowsy. It was blood loss. 

“The trapdoor is a more secret exit, the last boss made it before Tord took over the army. Not well known about since it’s hidden and it didn’t seem to serve a purpose.” Wayne explained as he led them to the trapdoor, not without Liam grabbing a medical kit so he could patch up Yuu while down there. He couldn’t do it here, it was simply too dangerous. “Ready?” Wayne asked, before Yuu suddenly babbled. “Where’s the nurse?” He stumbled a bit as his eyes were becoming half lidded. “She also evacuated, completely freaked out and ran. We didn’t follow since we could hear gunshots. I already knew about the trapdoor.” He shrugged as Liam spoke, smirking.“Well you are pretty old, Wayne.” “That's not the point.” Wayne shot back. 

They all crept into the trapdoor, dropping down and shutting the door above them as they began walking while they heard screams, bone crunching, loud roaring and growling. They made sure they never made too much sound as they walked. They were safe.

Except for a few.

**Author's Note:**

> Currently no schedule, chapter posting will be slow and slightly erratic!


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